Learn how our Green Lease is already making a significant impact on students in need across New Zealand thanks to Spark.
A partnership between Quadrent and Spark has already resulted in hundreds of high school students in South Auckland and Wellington region receiving laptops to use at school – with more laptops to be donated over the next four years.
Through the arrangement with Quadrent’s Green Lease, Spark leases the laptops its employees use. Once the lease has ended, the laptops are donated to schools, helping to bridge the digital divide for students without access to essential learning tools.
To accelerate Spark’s donations, Quadrent has bought more than 3,000 old laptops from Spark. The proceeds from their resale in the secondary market will fund the purchase of more than 800 brand-new laptops for donation over the next six months. Four hundred of these have already been delivered to schools.
This will provide vital digital resources to up to 30 classrooms, with the first beneficiaries being Papakura High School, Papatoetoe High School, Māngere College, Mana College, Titahi Bay North School, Porirua College, Manawatu College, and Whare Kura Morehu ō Ratana.
Long term, Spark is using Quadrent’s Green Lease initiative to fund the rollout of new laptops to its employees across New Zealand. By the end of March 2029, Spark will have donated 20% of these high-quality laptops to digital inclusion programmes through the Quadrent Green Lease.
"Our tamariki will live in, create, and lead a world far more digital than it is today, yet for some students, attaining laptop devices required for learning is a barrier," says Leela Ashford, Corporate Relations and Sustainability Director at Spark. "That is why we are pleased to partner with Quadrent and participate in their Green Lease initiative to provide the necessary hardware, helping to close the digital access divide."
Ashford adds, "It also complements Skinny Jump, our subsidised internet access programme, which currently supports over 33,000 homes. More broadly, Spark’s charitable trust, the Spark Foundation, continues to support organisations working to close the digital divide through initiatives focusing on digital access, wellbeing, and skills."
Beyond digital inclusion, environmental sustainability and reducing its impact on the natural environment is a key focus of Toitū Sustainability at Spark. "Our partnership with Quadrent's Green Lease also supports our long-standing programme to reduce e-waste. By recycling our used laptops, we can ensure that technology stays within the system for as long as possible, contributing to a more circular economy," says Ashford.
With 800 brand-new devices in classrooms before the end of 2025, Spark and Quadrent
are making a significant impact on the education outcomes of students in need.
Quadrent CEO Martyn Masterson welcomed the partnership; "The Spark Green Lease rollout is a significant step towards a more sustainable and inclusive digital future in New Zealand. This partnership not only extends the lifecycle of technology and reduces e-waste, it also provides tangible benefits to students who would otherwise go without. By shifting from ownership to leasing, Spark is demonstrating true leadership by showcasing how businesses can align financial efficiency with social and environmental impact.
"We’re already seeing great results from the Green Lease programme. In 2023, we donated laptops to Tangaroa College. Its Year 13 PE and Health class saw a lift in attendance from 65% to 85%. Students achieving Merit or higher increased from 17% to 65%, and the rate of students receiving a ‘Not Achieved’ result went from 24% to 0%.
"We were thrilled by these results, and we can’t wait to see the impact of the latest donations."
Quadrent and Spark are now encouraging other businesses to join the Green Lease programme. Customers who lease laptops from Spark can sign up to the initiative as part of their contract.
Find more information about Quadrent's Green Lease here, and learn more about Spark's Digital Inclusion impact here.
Watch the Seven Sharp feature on Quadrent's Green Lease partnership with Spark to find out more.
Quadrent, a finalist in the Sustainability through Technology category at the 2023 NZ CIO Awards, celebrates the winner and their Quadrent Green...
Quadrent's pioneering efforts in bridging the digital gap through the Quadrent Green Lease are highlighted in two radio interviews.
Quadrent are pleased to announce that we can now offer the circular economy initiative, the Quadrent Green Lease, in Australia.
